Device to prevent opening of a door or the like

ABSTRACT

A device to prevent opening of a door including a plate of a first thickness secured to a door jamb and having a generally coplanar detent portion of a second thickness extending beyond the jamb and being provided with an opening. A pin is detatchably engagable within the opening and is secured therein in a manner to overlie an edge of the door to prevent movement of the door past the detent portion.

United States Patent [191 Nahon 1 DEVICE TO PREVENT OPENING OF A DOOR OR THE LIKE [76] Inventor: Abraham S. Nahon, 1029 Arboretum Rd., Wyncote, Pa. 19095 22 Filed: May 10, 1973 211 Appl. No.: 358,848

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 234,894, March 15,

1972, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 292/57, 292/251 [51] Int. Cl. E05c 5/02 [58] Field of Search 292/2, 42, 57,58, 59,

292/137, 145, 147, 149, 289, 291, 292, 293, 291/337, DIG. 7, DIG. 15, DIG. 20, 29l/D IG. 46, DIG. 33, DIG. 53, 288

1 1 Jan. 7,1975

Mertsheimer 292/288 X 1,203,986 11/1916 Curnow 292/D1G. 20. 1,236,618 8/1917 Stagman 292/57 1,809,117 6/1931 Golden 292/59 UX 2,131,315 9/1938 Dunseath 292/D1G. 46 2,264,962 12/1941 Adams 292/147 2,611,634 9/1952 Bevington 292/137 X 3,537,739 11/1970 Lippman 292/2 3,731,965 5/1973 Adkinson 292/292 Primary Examiner-Richard E. Moore Attorney, Agent, or Firml(ar1 L. Spivak, Esq.

[57] ABSTRACT A device to prevent opening of a door including a plate of a first thickness secured to a door jamb and having a generally'co-planar detent portion of a second thickness extending beyond the jamb and being provided with an opening. A pin is detatchably engagable within the opening and is secured therein in a manner to overlie an edge of the door to prevent movement of the door past the detent portion.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures l DEVICE TO PREVENT OPENING OF A DOOR OR THE LIKE This is a continuation-in-part of application, Ser. No. 234,894 filed Mar. 15, 1972, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to door locking devices, and more particularly, is directed to a simply constructed cooperating plate member and a removable pin.

In an effort to supplement the protection which presently available lock type devices provide, prior workers in the art have resorted to the use of slide bolts, chains, and other types of supplementary door locking mechanisms. In the case of chain type devices, once the usual door lock is opened, the chains cease to be effective. The chains are exposed through the partially opened door to thereby permit cutting or otherwise severing the chains using conventional tools such as a chain cut- I ter which may be readily manipulated through the space which is formed by the limited open movement of a door permitted by the chain construction.

Slide bolts are more effective in that they do not permit any opening movement of a door and their location on the inside of the door is not discernible from the outside. But the screws which fasten the keeper and the slide bolt assembly are driven directly into the door and into the door jamb at right angles thereto. Accordingly, the force exerted in a door opening direction will tend to force the screws out in the direction of their axes. This reduces the resistance offered by the screws to a function of the engagement of the screw threads with the material of the door.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to the field of door hardware, and more particularly, relates to an improved door immobilizing device in which the force exerted in a door opening direction is applied to the retaining screws at right angles to their axes.

The present invention includes a locking plate of generally rectangular, planar construction having a first portion of a thinner construction suitable to be affixed to the door jamb without interfering with the normal opening and closing movements of a door. A second detent portion of thicker construction than the first attaching portion, extends beyond the door jamb in the direction of movement of the door. The detent portion is provided with an opening with means to removably engage a locking pin therein. The pin when positioned in the plate extends beyond the edge of the door to prevent movement of the door relative to the door jamb.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved, novel device to prevent the opening of a door.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel device to prevent opening of a door or the like which incorporates a plate of two thicknesses which plate affixes to a door jamb in a manner to prevent removal of the plate when the door is closed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel device to prevent the opening of a door which incorporates a plate attached to the door jamb, said plate having a detent portion extending beyond the jamb and including an opening therein, said opening being provided with means to removably receive a locking pin therein.

jamb, a pin which is removably attachable within the opening and means to facilitate association and disassociation of the pin within the opening.

It is a further object of the present invention .to provide a novel device to prevent opening of a door that is inexpensive in manufacture, simple in design and trouble-free when in use.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had by referring to the following description and claims of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial, perspective view showing the application of the invention to a door, said door being illustrated in the closed and locked position.

FIG. 2 is an exploded, perspective view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded, perspective view of a first modified type of construction.

FIG. 4 is an exploded, perspective view of a second modified type of construction.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a third modified type of construction.

FIG. 6 is an exploded, perspective view of a fourth modified type of construction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Although specific terms are used. in the following description for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular structure of my invention selected for illustration in the drawings and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, I show in FIG. I a conventional door l0of the horizontal swinging type which is conventionally hinged at its hinged edge 12 to a door jamb (not shown). The free edge 14 of the door 10 swings relative to the door jamb l6 and when in the closed position as illustrated, abuts againsta conven tional retaining strip 18. It will be understood that the door 10 is also conventionally locked in the closed position by usual locks, latches, night chains or slide bolts, all of which have nothing to do with the present invention and are therefore not shown. It is enough to say these these locking devices interengage the freeedge 14 of the door 10 with the jamb 16 to prevent opening of the door.

A plate 20 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of generally planar, rectangular configuration consists of a relatively thin first section 22 and an integral, relatively thick, detent sec,- tion 24, said sections being co-planar as clearly shown in FIG. 2. The first section 22 is provided with a number of openings 26 for the passage of screws 28 which are threaded into the jamb 16 in the usual manner to secure the plate 20 in the position shown in FIG. ll. In order to make the invention applicable to existing structures, the first section 22 of the plate 20 is constructed thin enough to be inserted into the space 30 which is normally available between the juxtaposed faces of the door jamb l6 and the door free edge 14.

The detent section 24 of the plate 20 is provided with an opening 32 for door securing purposes. The opening 32 is provided with securing means 34 which is designed to prevent accidental or unwanted removal of the locking pin 36. It will benoted that the axes of the screws 28 are parallel to the axis of the locking pin 36 and that all of said axes are substantially normal to the movement of the door in the opening direction which is indicated by the arrow 38. Therefore, to force the door 10 open, the screws 28 have to be pushed bodily through the jamb material which is much more difficult than forcing them out in the direction of their axes as in formerly available devices.

The locking pin 36 is fabricated with a barrel portion 40 of diameter to readily slide within the plate opening 32.;The pinterminates outwardly in a concentric stem 42 to facilitate handling. Preferably, the outer 'end of the stem 42 isknurled at 44 to facilitate the insertion and removal of the locking pin 36 withinthe plate opening 32. In FIGS. 1 & 2, the locking means 34 comprise a slot 46 which ismachined or otherwise formed at one portion of the periphery of the opening 32. A cooperating small projection 48 is swaged or otherwise conventionally provided in the periphery of the barrel portion 40 near its forward edge 50 in a manner to raise Thus, the locking pin 36 cannot be removed from its association with the plate through inadvertence or through the application of increased forces. In this manner, the locking pin 36 will be held in the opening 32 and will engage'the free edge 14 of the door 10 to prevent opening thereof. Preferably, a second small projection 54 is provided near the rearward edge 56 to thereby limit the forward movement of the locking pin 36relative to the plate 20 when the forward. edge of locking pin is inserted through the opening 32 and is rotated thereabout.

In the first modified locking device 58, see FIG. 3, the plate 60 is provided with a threaded opening 62 to threadedly engage the exterior threads 64 of the first modified locking pin 66. Preferably, the pin 66 is provided with a forward, tapered insert portion 68 of smaller diameter than the threaded opening 62 to thereby serve as a guide to facilitate engaging the locking pin threads 64 within the threaded opening 62.

In the second modified device 70 of FIG. 4, the plate 72 is provided with a circular opening 74 to receive the second modified locking pin 76 therein. A spring plate 78 which is slightly outwardly bent from the plate 72 along the bend line 80 is provided with an opening 82 of the same diameter as the plate opening 74. The spring plate 78 is secured to the plate 72 by means of the screws 84, 86 or other conventional fastening devices. When the spring plate 78 is bent about the bend line 80 to provide a gap 84 between the end of the spring plate 78 and the locking plate 72, the spring plate opening 82 will be bent slightly out of alignment with the circular opening 74 in the plate 72. When the second modified locking pin 86 is inserted through the combined openings74, 82, the peripheral edge 88 of the spring plate 78 will engage uponthe periphery of the barrel portion 90 to thereby lock the locking pin 86 within the circular opening 74. In order to insert or remove the pin 86, the free edge 92 of the spring plate 78 should be depressed to close the gap 84 and thus align the opening 82 with the circular opening 74. In this position, the pin 86 may be readily removed relative to the opening 74.

In a third modified construction 94 as set forth in FIG. 5, the circular opening 96 of the modified plate 98 is provided with a semi-circular recess 100 which is formed in the peripheral edge 102 of the opening 102. The third modified locking pin 104 is provided with a spring biased ball 106 which extends outwardly from the periphery of the locking pin barrel 108. Thus, by urging the locking pin 104 in the direction of the arrow 110 into the opening 96, the ball 106 will engage the peripheral edge 102 of the opening and act to depress its recessed spring (not shown) sufficiently to permit insertion of the locking pin 104 into the circular opening 96. By aligning the ball 106 with the 'semi-circular recess 100, the action of the recessed spring (not shown) will develop sufficient force to retain the pin 104 within the opening 96 by pressing the ball 106 into the recess 100.

In a fourth modified construction 112 as illustrated in FIG. 6, the plate 114 is provided with a slotted opening 116 for engagement of the fourth modified locking pin '1 18 as hereinafter more fully set forth. The opening 116 is generally circularly formed with a communicating, generally rectangular upper slot 120 and a diametrically opposed, lower, communicating slot 122. The modofied locking pin 118 is provided near its forward edge 124 with a pair of diametrically opposed slots 126 (only one of which is illustrated in FIG. 6) of width slightly greater than the width of the thicker portion of the plate 114. The device is functioned by urging the locking pin 118 into the opening 116 until the slots 126 align with the plate material. The locking pin is then manipulated by means of the knurled section 128 until the slots 126 of the pin 118 vertically align with the lower slot 122 of the plate 114. i

In this position, the locking pin 118 will drop down into and seat within the lower slot l22 to thereby retain the pin 118 in association with the plate 114. It can be observed that the plate 114 is universally adaptable for either the right or left door jamb of an opening by simply connecting to the opposite jamb '(not shown) and reversing the orientation. In this position, the upper slot 120 as illustrated in FIG. 6 would then become the lower slot to thereby receive the locking pin therein. Thus, by providing an upper slot 120 and a diametrically opposed lower slot 122 as illustrated, a single plate 114 can be rendered universally adaptable for use with either a left jamb or a right jamb of an opening.

In order to use the safety device of this invention, the door 10 is first moved to the closed position as illustrated in FIG. 1 and a pin 36, 66, 76,104 or 118 is urged into a respective plate 24, 66, 72, 98 or 114. In this position, the pin substantially abuts the inner surface of the door to prevent movement thereof. To open the door 10, the pin must first be disconnected from its associated plate to thereby permit the door to swing freely. If desired, the locking pin may be suspended on a keeper or similar device whichmay be affixed near the plate to render the locking pin readily available for use.

Although I have described the present invention with reference to the particular embodiments therein set forth, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should not 'be limited by the foregoing specification, but rather only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a device to prevent the movement of a door from a closed position to an open position, said door having a free edge which is movable in an opening direction relative to a door jamb, the combination of A. a plate of generally planar configuration,

1. said plate having a first section and a second section,

2. said first section being provided with screw openings for passage of screws,

3. said first section inserting between the free edge of the door and the door jamb and being secured to the jamb by screws inserted through the screw openings,

4. said second section being provided with a locking device opening,

5. said locking device opening having pin retaining means associated therewith to retain a locking pin within the locking device opening; and

B. a locking pin removably engagable within the locking device opening,

I. said pin being equipped with plate engaging means to function with the said pin retaining means,

2. said locking pin being oriented and retained within the path of door travel by the plate to prevent movement of the door in an opening direction when the pin is inserted into the locking device opening,

3. the screws and the locking pinhaving longitudinal axes and when respectively positioned in locking arrangement, all of the said axis being parallel,

a. the said axes being positioned substantially normal to the movement of the door in the opening direction,

4. the pin retaining means comprising a slot which is formed at one portion of the periphery of the locking device opening,

5. the said plate engaging means including a barrel portion having a peripheral surface and a dimple rising above the surface, the said dimple passing through the slot when the locking pin is inserted into the locking device opening, the plate engaging means further including means to rotate the dimple out of alignment with the said slot.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the pin retaining means comprise a semi-circular recess which is formed in the peripheral edge of the locking opening.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the means to rotate the dimple includes a stem extending from the locking pin.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the stem is concentric with the locking pin.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the stem and the locking pin are cylindrically formed.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the stem and the locking pin are concentric. 

1. In a device to prevent the movement of a door from a closed position to an open position, said door having a free edge which is movable in an opening direction relative to a door jamb, the combination of A. a plate of generally planar configuration,
 1. said plate having a first section and a second section,
 1. said pin being equipped with plate engaging means to function with the said pin retaining means,
 2. said locking pin being oriented and retained within the path of door travel by the plate to prevent movement of the door in an opening direction when the pin is inserted into the locking device opening,
 2. said first section being provided with screw openings for passage of screws,
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the pin retaining means comprise a semi-circular recess which is formed in the peripheral edge of the locking opening.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein the means to rotate the dimple includes a stem extending from the locking pin.
 3. said first section inserting between the free edge of the door and the door jamb and being secured to the jamb by screws inserted through the screw openings,
 3. the screws and the locking pin having longitudinal axes and when respectively positioned in locking arrangement, all of the said axis being parallel, a. the said axes being positioned substantially normal to the movement of the door in the opening direction,
 4. the pin retaining means comprising a slot which is formed at one portion of the periphery of the locking device opening,
 4. said second section being provided with a locking device opening,
 4. The device of claim 3 wherein the stem is concentric with the locking pin.
 5. The device of claim 4 wherein the stem and the locking pin are cylindrically formed.
 5. said locking device opening having pin retaining means associated therewith to retain a locking pin within the locking device opening; and B. a locking pin removably engagable within the locking device opening,
 5. the said plate engaging means including a barrel portion having a peripheral surface and a dimple rising above the surface, the said dimple passing through the slot when the locking pin is inserted into the locking device opening, the plate engaging means further including means to rotate the dimple out of alignment with the said slot.
 6. The device of claim 5 wherein the stem and the locking pin are concentric. 